Mama Gilmore's Gettin' Hitched
by Ang1
Summary: PDLD: Third in the Foster's universe...finally complete. There will probably be more of this series, but definitely not until after finals are done. I hope you all like it.
1. The March of the Phone Calls

I freeze in mid-stride as I hear the wedding march float up out of my bag. _I'll kill her. I told her not to call. I don't care if she's getting married this weekend._ Pulling it out, I flip it open. "I do **_not_** have time for this Mom." I clip darkly.

"Rory?" Luke's voice asks carefully.

"Is everything okay?" _Why is Luke calling me? What happened?_

"Everything is fine. Your mom asked me to call and make sure you picked up the baskets."

I grit my teeth. "She asked me that two hours ago." I clip. "I told her, very clearly, that yes, I picked up the baskets. Yes, I'm bringing them tonight. Once you've told her that, tell her that I'm blocking all the numbers from Stars Hollow for the rest of the day. I have a midterm, make her call Finn."

After a pause, he speaks. "Are you okay Ror?"

"Your fiancé is making me buggy. If she doesn't stop calling me at all hours, I'm going to crack."

"You know you're talking about your mom, right?"

I close my eyes. "Make her stop calling me Luke. I don't want to know how you do it, but I swear that if I get any more calls about the wedding, I'll clear my schedule with my professors and have Finn take me out of the country until Friday afternoon."

There's another short pause. "Is she really that bad?"

"Luke, it's nine am. This is the sixth call today, the third about the baskets." I pause, looking around and spotting a coffee cart. "I'm going to hang up now and buy a cup of coffee. If I get a single call from her before I get there tonight, I'm gone. Finn will send an assistant to help."

"I'll talk to her."

"Thanks Luke."

"By."

"Yeah." I end the call, and drop the phone into my bag. When I glance up, Finn is standing in front of me.

"Hello love." He whispers, pulling me into his arms and dropping a kiss on the top of my head.

I feel a small smile work it's way onto my face. "Hey." I whisper back, leaning into his chest and inhaling his comforting scent. "What are you doing up? I thought you were avoiding the evil sun today."

"I was, but I got a call from a petite Asian a few minutes ago."

"Why would Lane call you at nine am?"

"Something about Lorelai making Luke call you about the wedding again?"

I sigh, and nod. "She's panicking. There are only five days left until the wedding, and she wants everything to be perfect."

He turns slightly, and begins leading me towards the coffee cart. "You told her you had midterms this week as soon as they picked the date." He points out.

"My mom has never really been super good about understanding the fact that I'm not all knowing, and that I actually have to study to get the grades I do." I sigh. "I guess I just hoped she'd tone it down. Call in the morning and see me when I stopped by at night. She's called six times this morning if you count when Luke called." When he hands me a cup of coffee, I realize we've left the cart. I shake my head softly. "Hey, where are we going?" I ask, glancing around a bit.

"Your ethics midterm is in what, forty-five minutes?"

I glance at my watch. "Forty-eight." He nods, and we begin walking more quickly even as I try to take a sip of the coffee. A few minutes later, we stop in front of my classroom. "What are we doing here this early?"

He tilts my chin up, and meets my eyes. "Calming you down." He whispers, fusing his lips to mine softly.

_Oh._ I feel myself melt into him slowly as his hands come to rest on my waist. When we break apart briefly, I smile. "That's an excellent plan." I whisper softly. "An excellent plan indeed."


	2. A Momentous Occasion

As I write the last sentence of my long answer, I notice my purse buzzing slightly on the floor. I narrow my eyes at it. _She wouldn't have. I told her I'd take off if she did!_ I grab the purse, and walk to the front of the room. As I hand in the paper, my professor smiles. "I admire your concentration Miss Gilmore." He offers.

I shrug. "Thank you. Why is that?"

He nods at my purse. "Your purse has been buzzing across the floor the entire hour. You only just noticed it."

I smile as lightly as I can. "My mother is getting married on Saturday. She's starting to panic." I confess, and shake my head a bit. "Actually, I was wondering: would I be able to get a set of your lecture notes for the rest of the week? That way I wouldn't have to worry about disrupting class, and could just go home to help her with the details."

He nods, taking a paper from another student. "Of course."

I hand him one of the business cards Finn had made up for me as a joke. "My boyfriend made these up for me a few months back as a gag Christmas gift." I admit as his eyes widen. "It's a play on what one of our friends likes to call me. He did, however, get the email address right."

He nods. "Have a good week Miss Gilmore."

I smile. "I will." I turn towards the door, and pull out my phone. _Twelve? Twelve calls? How can she possibly have called me twelve times in an hour?_ I sigh, and glance up as I step out of the room, spying Finn across the hall. "Hey you." I move across to him, and touch my lips to his softly. "What are you doing here?"

He smiles. "Two things. First, how was your mid-term?"

"Good. Not too hard, but not so easy that I'm worried he'll have to curve it."

He nods. "I'm glad. Second: you told your mother to call me?"

I close my eyes and rest my head on his chest. "How can she possibly have had time to call you? I have twelve new voice mails on my phone."

"To be fair, she only called me three times."

"Three times too many, twelve times too many. I told her not to call me, and she did. All I asked was for the rest of today." I sigh. "Do you have any mid-terms left?"

"No. I have a paper that I should actually hand in next week."

"How close are you to being done?"

"Relatively, and it's not due until Thursday. I got an extension for the wedding."

I nod into his chest. "Can you arrange a 24-hour assistant for my mom?"

"Why would I subject anyone to that?"

"Because I'm going to spend the next hour re-arranging all of my mid-terms so that you can take me away from this insanity."

He pushes me back slightly and I see his eyes light up. "Really?"

I shrug. "I told Luke that if she called me again today before I got to Stars Hollow I was taking off until the rehearsal on Friday."

"You're letting me take you away in the middle of mid-terms, right before your mum's wedding?" he asks incredulously.

"She's making me buggy." I admit, leaning in to fuse my lips to his. "Are you complaining?" I ask as I pull away.

I feel his hands on my cheeks as his lips meet mine again briefly. "Never. I suppose you'll want to stay in the States to avoid customs issues?"

I bite my lip. "We probably should. And on the continent too."

"So not Hawaii?"

"As amazing and relaxing as it would be, I don't want to risk putting an ocean between us and the wedding." I admit.

"Meet me at my dorm when you're ready to go. I'll take care of telling your mum."

I smile. "Should I pack?"

"Love, you're letting me spirit you away in the middle of mid-terms. This is a momentous occasion. I'll take you shopping."


	3. Facilitated Escape

When I arrive in front of his door, my phone rings. I reach into my bag and grab it, glancing at the caller ID. "Yes Sookie?" I ask calmly.

"You haven't been answering your mom's calls. She's starting to panic." She offers.

"I told her not to call me again today. I had a midterm this morning."

"Is it over?"

"Yes."

"Then why aren't you answering her calls yet?"

"Because I've been meeting with professors. Finn is taking me on a holiday."

"Next week?"

"This week. We'll be back in time for the rehearsal on Friday."

She's quiet on the other end. "Your mom is going to freak out."

I sigh. "I know. That's why I'm sending her an assistant. She knew that this was my midterm week. I told her as soon as she and Luke picked the date that I wasn't going to be available to help this week because of midterms. This morning, she called me six times before nine am. I'm going away with my boyfriend, and we're leaving our cell phones with Logan and Steph. They will know how to contact us in an actual emergency." I pause, and let myself into his dorm, smiling at Logan and waving a bit. "Tell her I love her, and I'll see her on Friday night."

"You're sure kiddo?"

"Yes, I really am. Bye Sook." I end the call, and turn to Logan. "Hi Logan." I grin.

His eyes narrow. "That's never a good look."

"Finn and I need a favor."

"Why are you bringing me into this love?" Finn asks, poking his head out of his room.

I glance at him. "Where's your cell?"

He winces. "Your mother was calling again so I hid it. If I can't find it, I can't answer it."

"Go get it, Logan is going to keep it safe for the week."

"I'm pardon?" Logan asks. "Why am I doing this?"

I turn back to him. "Because you're a fantastic friend who wants to facilitate our escape?"

"You're asking me to help you escape from Lorelai? What do I get out of this deal?"

I shrug. "Eternal gratitude?"

He laughs a bit, shaking his head. "Nothing doing. Something tangible."

"Like what, exactly? Because there is no way I'm convincing Steph to go to Aruba with you and your family next week. Suffer through it alone, your family is evil." I clip.

"You're no good to me then. What've you got Finn?"

He winces. "I'll clean my room before your father's inspection of the premises on Sunday?"

"Like I'm going to believe that. There's a service coming in on Saturday while we're all at the wedding."

He spreads his hands. "I'll…attempt to convince Steph to go next week?"

"She won't listen to you."

Finn groans. "I'll call the temp service back and tell them my credit card number instead of yours."

Logan's eyebrows lift in surprise. "What temp service?"

I cross my arms. "Finn, what did you do?"

"You're the one who told me to do it love."

"No, I told **you** to hire a temp. Not to do it with Logan's credit card. Do you have any idea how much they're going to charge?"

"That would be why I gave them Huntz's card instead of mine."

"Finn!" Logan shouts.

"All it'll take is a quick check of the voicemails once a day." Finn shrugs.

"That's blackmail."

"I'm aware."

"Ace, tell me you're not condoning this."

"I really do need you to take the phones. If this is how it gets done, then this is how it gets done." I cross my arms. "Well?"

"You suck."

"Very mature." I offer.

"What's the temp for, exactly?"

"24-hour assistants for Lorelai until the wedding." Finn supplies.

"Gimme the phones. That's going to cost a goldmine."


	4. Terribly Far Away

As I slide my hand into his calmly, I feel a familiar rush. "So, where are we going?"

"Away from Yale."

I sigh. "Oh come on Finn. It would be so much easier if you would just tell me."

"It would also ultimately ruin the surprise."

"I'm just going to spend the entire time guessing."

"You're not going to get it right."

"Is it far?"

"Not particularly. We're actually driving around aimlessly until I get the call that it's ready. I wasn't planning on taking you until after the wedding."

I snap my head in his direction. "Finn – where are we going?" I clip.

"You're not nearly as intimidating with a blindfold on, did you know that?"

"What did you do?"

"Where's the trust?"

"In Tahiti with my hotel. What did you do?"

"Speaking of Tahiti, did you know that I got an absolutely splendid idea that weekend?"

"Focus Thaddeus."

"Because using my real name always helps your case."

I sigh. _What could he possibly have done?_ "Please just spit it out. Your ideas usually end up being dangerous." I pause. "Were you at least sober?"

"I was completely sober."

"So you bought something."

"Plenty of things."

I bite my lip, and roll my head a few times. "Finn, we've talked about this. We've talked about this a lot. I don't need you buying me things to show me you love me. I know you love me."

I can almost feel him wince. "Love, I promise you. I have not made an extravagant purchase to try and buy your love. In addition, I haven't bought you a hotel since Tahiti – I've thought about it, but I haven't actually done it." he pauses. "This is more of a…proposition." I'm about to reply when a cell rings.

_We gave our cells to Logan. What is he doing with a phone?_

"Hello?" he asks calmly. "Wonderful. Thank you for all your efforts."

"Why do you have a cell phone?"

He laughs. "I just got the call saying we can go to our destination, and that's all you can ask?"

"You gave your cell to Logan."

"I did, but this is the phone I've been using exclusively for this project. I promise you'll understand when we get there."

"You were hiding an entire phone line from me?"

We pull to a stop. "Try not to focus on that particular part right now love. I have something to show you." I hear his car door open and him climb out, closing the door. Slowly, he helps me out, and turns me slightly, removing the blindfold.

I blink a few times, and smile. "It's so pretty." I look at the modest house that I assume houses one of his many Bed & Breakfasts. "Why didn't I know you had this?"

"It's new. I just had it built, and it's not a B&B." he whispers, leading me to the front door and punching in a code to unlock the doors.

We step inside, and I take in the soft furniture. "If this isn't a B&B, where are we?"

He breathes deeply. "I was hoping this could be home for a while." He offers.

I glance around. "You're moving off campus?" I whisper. _I don't want him to be this far away. I don't even know how far away it **is**_.

He shrugs a bit. "I was also hoping you would come with me."

I meet his eyes quickly, and feel my own widen. _Did he just ask me to move in with him?_

He smiles a bit. "Would you like a tour first?"

_Oh my god, he did._

He takes off my coat, and I stare blankly at various items as he points them out to me. We arrive upstairs, and he stops in front of the last door. "This would be our room." He says softly, and I feel his hands in my hair.

He's serious about this. He picked everything out to compliment us both, to mix our styles. Oh my god, I'm going to live with Finn.

"Love?" he whispers. "You're being something awful silent. How should I be taking that?"

I blink a few times, and shake my head. "I completely didn't say anything, did I?" I whisper.

"Not a peep since we walked in the door a half hour ago."

I smile. "It's amazing. Everything is perfect."

"Perfect enough to live here with me?"

I nod. "Finn, I'd live in a box if it meant I was with you." I admit softly. "Are we still in New Haven?"

His eyes sparkle. "We are indeed. That's why there's absolutely no way your mother will find us here. She'll be looking for us terribly far away, at least she will be if she considers my track record."


	5. Talk to her Mother Naked

I feel my eyes flutter open softly as I turn in his arms to bury my face in his chest. "We have to go to Stars Hollow today, don't we?"

I can feel his body move slightly as he nods. "We do indeed."

"She's going to be really angry." I whisper.

"Probably, but that's why we're going to go a bit early to let her get it out of her system before dinner."

I sit up straight and stare at him. "I'm sorry, we're what?"

He shrugs. "Did I forget to tell you that part?"

"Finn, we can't go back early. It would ruin the entire principle of leaving in the first place."

"We didn't technically **_go_** anywhere love."

"That's not the point and you know it. She thinks we did."

He's about to respond when I hear a crash downstairs. "FINN!" Logan's voice shouts from what I assume is the entry. "GET THE HELL DOWN HERE!"

Finn sighs. "Well, there goes the neighborhood. It was nice while it lasted, wasn't it?"

I smile. "It was perfect. What do you suppose he wants?"

"My guess is that he's sick of dealing with your mother's calls." He sits up slightly, and looks around the room. "Love, where are my pants?"

I laugh lightly. "I'm not really sure. I haven't seen them since Monday."

He winces. "I don't suppose any of **_your _**clothes are in here so that you can go down to meet up with Huntz."

I shake my head. "Not so much, no. He'll make his way up eventually."

He grins. "Maybe **_he'll_** bring our clothes."

"Anything is possible."

"FINN!" Logan's voice calls again. "WHERE IN THE HELL ARE YOU?"

I glance at Finn. "He's getting closer." I whisper, and lean towards him. "Good morning Finn."

He smiles. "Good morning love." He whispers back, touching his lips to mine softly and pushing me back down on the bed slowly. As he leans over me, the door crashes open, and he pulls away slightly.

"Jesus!" Logan shouts. "I did not need to see that on a Friday morning!"

I peek out from beneath Finn, whose face is buried in the pillow next to me while he laughs silently. "You're the one who crashed into our bedroom Logan. What is it that you need?"

"To get the image of him shaking on top of you out of my head."

"He's laughing at you." I pause. "Seriously, what are you doing here?"

"Someone named Taylor is trying to get your mother to take down some of the lights on the gazebo."

I groan. "She told you to come get me over lights?"

"She said it was an emergency."

"Logan, does that sound like an emergency to you?"

"No, but –

"Exactly. This is why we hired an assistant for her."

"The assistant quit yesterday."

I groan. "Okay, that counts as an actual emergency. Give us a couple hours to get dressed, and we'll head out to Stars Hollow early."

"Why do you need a couple hours?"

Finn rolls onto his back. "We need to find our clothes. We lost them on Monday and aren't quite sure where to look for them."

Logan nods sharply. "Can I at least leave your cells here?"

"You want me to talk to her mother naked?" Finn asks incredulously.

"Right. I'll see you guys at the wedding tomorrow." He leaves the room, shaking his head and muttering something about rabbits.

I sigh. "I guess we really do have to go back." I wait until I hear the front door slam, and sit up slowly. "I'll go look for clothes, you make coffee."

His arm snakes up around my waist and he pulls me back down before kissing me once more. "Or we could continue this." He offers softly.

"As much as I want to, we do have to find clothes."

"In the closets and drawers love. I told you I'd buy you a few new things."

I stare at him. "When did you buy them?"

"Why do you think we had to drive around aimlessly for an hour before pulling into the driveway? I was waiting for the delivery men to clear out of the house."


	6. Behind My Back With My Boyfriend

As we carefully approach the gazebo, I lean into Finn slightly. "Whoever the assistant was, make sure they get a bonus. They helped a lot." I whisper, looking around at the myriad of lights surrounding the square.

I feel his lips on my ears. "I noticed that myself. When do you think she's going to –

"TRAITORS!" my mother's voice shouts suddenly.

"Nevermind." He mutters.

"ABANDONERS!"

We turn towards her approaching voice, and I smile. "Hi Mom." I shrug.

"What did you just say to me? You abandon me in my time of need and all I get is 'hi Mom'? Where the hell have you been?" she shouts.

I sigh. "I told you months ago that the date you picked was the day after midterms. I told you I wouldn't be able to help you organize this week. All I wanted was the chance to further my education. I didn't even complain about you wanting me to come home every night leading up to the wedding. I was willing to drive two hours every night so that I could be here to help you with a few things." I pause to breathe.

"Then where were you? Logan and Stephanie have been answering your phones – both of your phones – all week!"

I groan. "That's because you called me six times before nine am on Monday!" I exclaim. "I told you not to call anymore that day. One little bitty thing – that was it. Just don't call anymore on Monday. When I walked out of my midterm you had called twelve more times. TWELVE!"

"So you sent me a stranger and disappeared?"

I lean back into Finn for support. "I told Luke to tell you not to call anymore or I would leave. I told Sookie that I was having Finn take me away precisely **_because_** you kept calling. Not to mention the fact that I'm back nine full hours before I planned to be back."

"You abandoned me Rory!" she shouts, and I grit my teeth.

I turn to Finn and kiss him lightly. "You'll be okay?" I ask as calmly as I can.

He grins. "I'm going to see if Luke needs anything."

"Can I do that instead?"

"You should really calm your mum down."

I nod. "See you at dinner." I mutter darkly, turning back to my mom, reaching out and grabbing her arm. "Come on."

"Where are you taking me?" she shouts as I lead her towards my car. "I have more to do!"

I plant her in front of the passenger door. "Mom, it's perfect, and you know it." I tell her, turning her to look at the whole view. "It's a Snow Fairy's Palace." I watch as the realization hits her.

"How did I miss this?" she whispers.

I wrap my arm around her shoulders. "You were so busy panicking about baskets and lights that you forgot to take a step back and look." I offer. "I know I shouldn't have just up and left mom, but eighteen calls before noon is excessive, even for you."

"I just want it to be perfect." She says softly. "I'm so afraid that if it's not perfect he'll realize he's too good for me and decide not to go through with it."

"Never gonna' happen Mom." I remind her. "I think sometimes you forget that he went to **_my_** boyfriend behind my back to make sure you got the proposal of your dreams."

"I just…I worry, you know? I've never worried like this before."

"Mom, do you remember your bachelorette party before your wedding that wasn't with Max?"

"Why are you reminding me of that the day before my wedding to Luke?"

"Because Grandma said something important that night."

"You're bringing my mother into this conversation?"

"Mom, you're nervous because it's right."

Her eyes meet mine sharply, and she takes a few deep breaths. "I'm really going to get married tomorrow, aren't I?"

"You are."

"To Luke?"

"To Luke."

Slowly, a smile creeps onto her face. "I'm still not happy that you took off."

"I know."

"I'm going to be Mrs. Luke Danes tomorrow."

"Luke is going to be my step-dad tomorrow."

She bites her lip, and starts to bounce a bit. "I'm getting married."

I feel myself bounce with her. "You're getting married!" I grin.

She pulls me into a tight hug. "Thanks kid, I needed that."

"I'm sorry I left." I whisper.

"Did he show you the house?"

I pull back quickly. "You knew about the house?"


	7. Interlude à la Finn

I lean against the counter and tilt my head at the pair crossing to Rory's car. "What do you think they're talking about?" I ask Luke.

"I'm actually hoping Rory's getting Lorelai to stop freaking out long enough to realize that there's no force on earth that will keep me from marrying her tomorrow." Luke comments softly.

I glance at him sharply. "What do you mean, exactly?"

Luke shrugs. "Lorelai worries. She's been terrified for the last couple of weeks that she's not good enough, that I'm going to panic and take off."

"She knows that's ridiculous, right?" I lift an eyebrow at him. "I haven't known you all that long mate, but I know that's insane. You love her."

"You've known me long enough Finn." Luke says dryly. "You've been with Rory for nearly a year now, and you met her before that."

"I'm not denying that mate, but why on earth would she think that you would bolt? Bloody hell, you worship the ground she walks on."

He shrugs again. "I don't understand the way her mind works, I just know that she's been worried. **_Especially_** since you and Rory took off on Monday." He glares at me.

I lift a hand. "Hey. Now that was her idea."

"You didn't have to go along with it."

I turn to face him with my arms crossed over my chest. "Let's try an example. You've taken Lorelai to Columbia, and are sitting in a coffee roasting plant as the first batch of a rare coffee is being brewed for her and her alone. She looks at you with a smile and tells you to take her away from it all, leave all communication with the world behind and just live for one another for five days. Do you point her at the coffee and say 'huh'?"

"No, I grab her and run." Luke pauses. "What's your point?"

"Rory, my lovely girlfriend whom I hadn't seen hide nor hair of in **_three_** weeks because she was studying, walked up to me and said 'yes, its midterms and I'm not completely done, and my mum is getting married in six days, but I'm going to re-arrange my entire schedule so you can take me away'. What do you think I did? Did I point her at her exams and mum and say 'huh'?"

Luke winces. "Right."

I scoff. "Bloody hell right. I grabbed her and ran."

The door bursts open suddenly, and I turn to face said girlfriend, whose eyes are flashing. "My mother knew about the house!"

_Oh bloody hell. Now I'm really in for it._ "Love, calm down. I already told you she didn't know where it was."

"I'm noticing you're not denying that she **_knew_** about it."

I sigh. _I'm in the hole now. No getting out. Might as well just admit to it all._ "Well of course she knew about it, how else would I have gotten all of your books and such there?"

"Finn! You told me my mother would have no idea where we were!"

"Well, to be fair, technically she didn't, as she doesn't precisely know where the house is." I spread my hands. She moves forward, and pinches my waist. "OW!" I pull away. "What did you go and do that for?" I lean forward. "What if I bruise? Will you kiss it better?"

Her hands reach out and smack my stomach. "Shut up, I'm mad at you!" she clips.

"Rory, calm down." Lorelai's voice offers from the door.

She whirls on her mother. "You stay out of this. How could you keep a secret like that from me? How could you have known that he was going to ask me to move in with him and not **_tell _**me?"

Dig deeper Thaddeus. Dig the hole deeper. Maybe if you dig the hole deeper you can hide from the wrath of Lorelai.

"What do you mean ask you to move in with him?" Lorelai asks sharply, narrowing her eyes at me. "He told me he wanted your books to make you a library so that you'd visit him more often."

I glance down at Rory, and nearly groan at her deer in headlights expression. "Pet, you have to talk to her before she carves my bits off with that spoon on the counter." I whisper down into Rory's ear.

As Lorelai moves closer, and Rory backs into me, we all turn as Luke begins to laugh hysterically.


	8. But He's A Boy

I feel Finn's arms come around me as Luke laughs. "What just happened?" he whispers in my ear.

I shrug. "I'm not entirely sure. Maybe we finally broke him?"

Luke moves around the corner towards Mom, and pulls her into a tight hug that she carefully returns. "You okay babe?" Mom asks, pulling back to meet Luke's eyes.

He nods, shaking his head. "Please don't tell me that you actually believed he wanted to make her a library so she would **_visit_** more often." He says to Mom, glancing at Finn and I. "I mean, Lorelai, even I admitted to myself that he was lying through his teeth about that, and I go out of my way not to admit to the fact that they do more than stand there with there arms wrapped around one another."

Mom stares at me blankly. "But…he's a boy!" she points at Finn. "My baby can't live with a boy!"

Luke takes her chin softly, and meets her eyes. "You live with a boy."

"She's only twenty-one!"

"They're in love." He pauses.

"She's not done school yet." Mom clips, and looks at me. "You're not done school yet. You were going to stay in New Haven until you finished Yale. You don't want to commute."

I bite my lip. "The house is five minutes from my end of Campus." I pause. "Walking."

She blinks rapidly a few times, processing the information carefully. "You were in New Haven this week?" she asks calmly.

"We were." I shrug.

"Is Logan around? He gave me the impression that you beyond the reach of normal communication devices. To me, that means not accessible by normal means without risk of danger to one's health."

Rory sighs. "You don't want to hear the answer to that question Mom."

"To whether or not Logan is around so I can strangle the boy who hid my daughter from me this week?"

I feel Finn lean down and softly kiss my neck before replying. "To whether or not Logan thought it would be possible to contact us without endangering his sanity even further."

Luke nods. "Lorelai, drop it."

"But he stole my child!" she pauses, pointing at Finn. "Again!"

I wince. "He did not! I told him to take me away! We talked about this not five minutes ago Mom."

"Lorelai, calm down." Luke offers. "Everything is okay, Rory's here, Finn's here, everything is set up for tonight, and for tomorrow. Let's just all sit down, I'll get you some coffee, and we'll relax until we have to start getting ready for dinner."

We all move to a table, and Luke goes to get the coffee. "You said you understood." I say softly.

"I said nothing of the sort. I distinctly recall you distracting me." I tilt my head at her. "Yeah. You're right." She mutters.

"Is it my turn to apologize now?" Finn asks.

I turn in my chair to face him. "What are you apologizing for?"

His eyes twinkle a bit. "Future mistakes?"

"Finn, what did you do?" Luke clips, placing coffee mugs in front of Mom and I, along with a carafe.

Mom points at the carafe as Luke sits next to her. "What is this?"

"It's a coffee carafe." He mutters.

"Why is it on our table?"

"So that when you run out of coffee you can pour yourself more."

I bite my lip. "You got Mom a carafe for the diner?" I ask carefully when I realize her eyes are tearing up.

He glances at Mom, and then glances back at me. "Yeah, I did." He admits.

Mom reaches up slowly and pulls his face down to kiss him softly. "It's perfect." She whispers as they break apart, and I feel Finn's arm wrap around my shoulders.

Luke shrugs. "It's just a thermos." He mutters.

She shakes her head softly. "No, it's not." She smiles. "It's more, and the fact that you don't even realize how much it means makes it worth that much more."

I reach over and grab Finn's hand, squeezing it tightly, and then smile at Mom. "You really did find your perfect guy." I smile.

She nods slowly, and takes a few deep breaths before glancing at Luke. "Thanks for reminding me why I'm marrying you."

He nods. "Any time."

She glances at me, and suddenly her eyes narrow. "Are those new jeans?"

"Of all the things she could possibly have asked, she had to comment on the clothes." I mutter darkly to Finn.

"Don't give me that Rory, did he buy you new clothes again?"

"Only because it was easier than us trying to track the clothes we wore to the house on Monday down."

"Mommy did not need to hear that."

"Mommy's the one who asked if I was wearing new jeans."


	9. Friends In Need

I smile at Lane indulgently as she stares at me blankly. "You're going to live with Finn?"

I nod. "I'm going to live with Finn. We're going to move in slowly over the next couple of months, and make it official at the end of April."

"You haven't even been together for an entire year."

"We're in love. Not to mention the fact that the house is beautiful. Realistically, we're doing this because it'll be easier on Paris and the guys if we don't live with them anymore."

Lane's eyes go wide. "Why is it that every time I talk to you I somehow end up being reminded of the fact that you're sleeping with him?"

I laugh a bit. "Your boyfriend says it's because we're worse than rabbits. He seems to think we can't control ourselves. We're really not that bad, but he has massively bad timing."

She groans. "You know; if it wasn't for the two of you I wouldn't feel like I should be sleeping with him."

I meet her eyes. "Lane, he does understand why you're not." I pause, and notice that she's still not convinced. "I'm not kidding." I tell her. "He knows how important it is to you, and he would never ask you to compromise your beliefs. Don't consider it just because of his comments about Finn and I."

"I know, I just…I worry that I'm not enough." She admits.

I wrap an arm around her shoulders and turn her to look at where the guys are sitting. "You don't need to worry, you know. Out of all of them, you picked the most patient one. Colin is in love with you. He's made it perfectly clear that that's more important than sex."

She nods slowly. "I can't help it, I find it hard to accept that he's been so patient."

I bite my lip. "I'm not the one you should be having this conversation with." I remind her.

"I've had this conversation with him. He sounds exactly like you." she leans her head on my shoulder. "I don't know why I'm being so paranoid about this." She suddenly pulls back. "Did you just say he's in love with me?"

I feel my eyes go a bit wider. "He's never told you that? You've been dating for nearly as long as Finn and I!"

"No we haven't. I didn't even meet him until after the two of you started dating. We weren't together until near the end of September."

I stare at her blankly. "You weren't?" I glance quickly at the guys, and then back at Lane. "We all thought that –

"He didn't even kiss me until October." She cuts me off.

"You were inseparable the entire summer."

She shrugs. "We enjoyed talking. Still do, I suppose. We don't get to spend much time together anymore what with you all being in classes, but I still see him three or four times a week."

"Huh." I shake my head. "And he hasn't told you he loves you?"

"I haven't said it either. Why, did he say something to you?"

"No." I offer. "I just figured it was obvious. He would move the world if he thought it would make you happy."

"That would probably throw off the space-time continuum." She points out.

"Lane, you're missing the point."

"I don't think I am."

"You don't think you're what doll?" Finn's voice asks from between us.

I smile at his innocent-looking eyes. "She doesn't think she's missing the point. What did you do?"

"Why is that always the first thing you ask me?" he meets my eyes.

"Firstly, you've been side-stepping the question all afternoon. Secondly, your eyes are twinkling. They only do that when you've done something you weren't supposed to."

"I wouldn't say I wasn't supposed to, but rather that I was not explicitly told I couldn't."

I narrow my eyes at him, and then glance at Lane. "Talk to Colin. Extensively." I tell her.

She sighs. "I will, just…not this weekend. It's Lorelai's weekend."

"Good." I look back at Finn. "What did you do?"

"Nothing that can be changed now so you should just pretend you knew about it all along." He nods in the direction of the door as a tall man in a suit enters the room and approaches us.

"Mr. Finley?"

"Just a moment." Finn says, and then turns to Lane. "If you'll excuse us." He offers me a hand, and leads me out into the hallway.

"Finn, we're in the middle of the rehearsal dinner. My mom will kill us if we take off."

"We're not precisely taking off love." He offers. "We're just outside the room handling some business." He glances at the man. "Mr. Jameson, I presume?"

"It's nice to finally meet you in person." Mr. Jameson takes Finn's hand, and nods at me. "You must be Rory."

I nod. "Finn, what's going on?"

"Right, well, you know how your mother was talking about working with Luke to restore his parents' cottage out by the lake not far from here?"

"She'll kill you if you had that done for her."

"I'm aware." He deadpans. "I'm not suicidal love, I'm helpful. I thought they might like a nice place to stay while they work on it, particularly given how **_fond_** Lorelai is of camping."

"You say 'fond' as though she doesn't like it." I comment lightly. "That doesn't help me understand what's going on."

"Mr. Jameson here deals in custom designed recreational vehicles."

"You bought my mother an RV?" I ask incredulously.

"It's a bit more complex than that." Mr. Jameson offers, handing me a piece of paper out of his folder.

I read through it quickly. "Finn, this is a portable house. How are they going to drive this around?"

"They won't be." Mr. Jameson explains. "All they need to do is call the service, and the domicile will be set up at the location of their choosing for as long as they need it. It can then be moved at any time depending on where they would like to vacation. We will of course need at least six hours notice to arrive ahead of them, but essentially, yes, it is a portable house."

I meet Finn's eyes. "Luke is going to kill you." He winces. "Luke knows?"

"I may have mentioned in passing that I was thinking a movable shelter of some kind would be useful for them if they wanted to fix up the cottage."

"Does he know you bought them a portable house?"

"Not precisely, no. That's why I wanted to make sure you knew about it beforehand so that you could calm them down and make them understand how brilliantly useful it will be. Love, they won't even have to grocery shop!"

I groan. "Discuss these things with me first in the future, okay? Don't just buy them houses."

He smiles widely, and touches his lips to mine. "Yes dear."


	10. The Warm Up

"You honestly don't know what he's going to say?" Mom whispers softly to me as the waiters begin to hand out the desserts.

I sigh. "Mom, if I had any idea what his speech was about, I would have told you. You know that."

"I also thought you would help me finalize the details for my wedding." She mutters darkly.

"Yes, well, I thought you would respect the fact that I had midterms this week, so lets just call it even, shall we?" I clip.

"Okay!" she lifts her hands in defeat. "I'll drop it. It's just that…they're filming kid, and this is an important part."

"He's not going to embarrass you Mom." I tell her calmly. "He might embarrass me, but he would never embarrass you."

She nods carefully as the waiters finish distributing the dishes. "As long as you're sure." She whispers, watching warily as Finn stands.

I smile. "I'm sure."

He winks at me before tapping his glass lightly. "Excuse me!" he offers clearly. "Excuse me! Before we eat these lovely mocha mousses that the delicate Sookie has so graciously prepared for us this evening, I've been granted the honor of speaking to the Bride and Groom in front of all of you." he grins suddenly. "That means put down your spoons, it's my turn now." He watches as everyone places his or her spoons to the side. "Now, I've been clearly informed that the mousse can only sit for three minutes on the table prior to being consumed in order for Sookie not to panic, so in three minutes, I'll tell you to start eating, whether I'm done or not, don't worry.

"I've not known Luke and Lorelai as long as some of the rest of you have, and so as I was writing this speech, I discovered that I didn't really know much about their lives before they fell in love. As you all know, however, I'm dating Rory, and she loves research. Bloody brilliant at it too, if you ask me," He smiles at me briefly. "Now, you can't date a research buff without picking up a few tips, by osmosis if nothing else since I generally sleep when she's studying or researching. This is obviously boring the lot of you though, as it has nothing to do with the happy couple, so I'll come to the point: I did some research, and discovered one important fact: my research wasn't to center around their lives before they fell in love, as I originally thought. My research would instead focus on their lives before they **_realized_** they were in love with one another."

"Hey!" Mom cuts in quickly.

"Trust me Lorelai, this is entirely true." Finn offers, and then he gestures at the wall, where a curtain is drawn back. "Luke, Lorelai, **_this_** is the courtship you never knew you had. Ladies and gentlemen, as you enjoy the show you helped me create, eat your mousse, Sookie's giving me death glares again."

He sits down next to me, and leans in close. "I figured I would be less likely to veer from a plan if I put it on video." He admits as the music begins.

"Sophie B. Hawkins?" I ask carefully.

He shrugs. "It fits with what I was told."

A few bars into the song, Grandma's voice is spliced in as a collage of photos of Mom and Luke at my sixteenth birthday appears: "It was…it had to have been Rory's sixteenth birthday, her party in Stars Hollow. I saw Lorelai asking Luke to go for more ice, and there was something in her eyes: a sparkle I'd never seen before, not even when she was with Christopher as a teenager. When I asked her if she was dating him, she seemed surprised." There's a short pause, and a video of Grandma at home fades through the collage. "Scares you a little to know I knew before you did, doesn't it Lorelai?" she asks archly.

The picture fades out to slowly reveal a series of photos of them in the diner, and Taylor's voice echoes in the dining room. "He let her paint that diner. That's when I knew he was gone over her. Neither of them had any idea, of course, but I knew. I always know."

I glance at Mom and see tears forming in her eyes as she leans into Luke, and then turn back to the film, where a picture of Mom and Luke in front of the huppa has appeared. "He built her that ridiculous arch." Michel's voice clips. "He built her that ridiculous arch and spent so much time on it, he wanted her day to be perfect, even though all of us could see it was driving him up the wall. He left the diner to be run by Cesar and all of the food was terrible, **_terrible_**! Everyone knew she wouldn't marry the daisy man, but he didn't, so he built her that arch and all of us had to eat charcoal for weeks."

A picture of the house comes up, and I tilt my head a bit as Miss Patty's voice comes on. "He was always over there, fixing things for her."

Babette's voice comes on. "He fixes things for everyone in town, but it was different with her. She would ask him to do little things the rest of us would have just done ourselves."

"Like change the front porch light bulb." Patty cuts in. "Or paint the trim around the doors and windows."

"He built most of Rory's bookshelves." Babette offers. "He never would do those things for anyone else."

"He always made sure she was safe. That she and Rory both were safe, they were his girls and he didn't even know it." I can almost see Patty smiling.

"He never let them down, not even when she was mad at him." Babette's voice says softly.

I can't help but place a soft kiss on Finn's cheek. "Thanks." I whisper.

He nods. "Keep watching." He indicates the screen.

A silent clip of the diner comes on, and Mom seems to be arguing over the counter with Luke about something. "He can't say no to her." Kirk's voice points out. "Every day, she drinks somewhere around twenty-seven cups of coffee, and at least half of those are from him. He's always complained about it, claiming it was bad for her, but he's always given in. Every single time." The clip fades out as Luke shakes his head and pours a cup of coffee before placing it in front of her.

An assorted collage of pictures appears. "I came back a few times after high school, for him of course. I held onto the idea of him for a long time." Rachel's voice filters through the hall and I feel my eyes go wide. "The last time I was in town, she had just gotten engaged to some teacher from Rory's school. His eyes…they weren't comfortable anymore. They had always been warm, accepting; but when he talked about the two of them…I asked him if he knew he was in love with her: he denied it, but I think it was there, in the back of his head that he might be."

Jess comes on the screen. "I had just started my shift, on my first day in town, and she blew into the diner like a hurricane, demanding coffee by the gallon. I poured the cup, and put it in front of her, and she just stared at me blankly. Her eyes were a little wide when she asked where Luke was. That was when he came out, and her eyes brightened. She asked if he'd made the coffee, he grunted, and she drank it with a smile. I thought they were dating. Imagine my surprise when I found out they weren't."

A photo of the old Independence appears, and Sookie's bubbly voice comes on. "After the fire, she convinced him to let me take over the diner's kitchen. He's as territorial as I am about his kitchen, but something she said, something she did: he let me in that day. I knew it wasn't about me, and it wasn't about the guests. It was about her, and she needed his help."

The music gets a little louder, and a series of pictures of them flashes slowly, until a video of me comes on. I snap my head to face Finn, and he grins. '**Just listen, you'll remember'** he mouths quietly.

"For as long as I can remember, we've eaten at Luke's. Except for a couple weeks when I was in high school. Jess and I had gotten into a car crash, and Mom blamed Luke for not being able to control Jess. She was furious with him, it was a little scary. I was afraid I was going to lose him…but more than that, what scared me was the look in Mom's eyes. She was so determined to blame him that she was going to cut him out of her life, and it was slowly killing her. She kept finding things she wanted to talk to him about, bug him about. I came home from school one day and found her sitting on the floor across from where he'd left Bert, sobbing. That was when I told her just to go talk to him: I knew from that moment that one day he'd be my dad, it was just a matter of time."

As the last bars of music fade away, Finn stands again. "To Luke and Lorelai." He raises his glass. "May you keep your eyes and hearts open, and always remember that you're meant to be together, whether you can feel it or not."

I raise my glass after everyone else, and meet Mom and Luke's curious looks. "Mom and Dad." I whisper, taking a sip of my champagne.


	11. Morning Kisses

I carefully cross over to the bathroom where he's brushing his teeth. "You did an amazing job tonight." I whisper.

He pauses, and meets my eyes in the mirror, smiling around his toothbrush. Slowly, he spits and rinses out his mouth. "You're still stunned that I put that video of you in, aren't you?"

I laugh lightly. "A little. I wasn't expecting it. Actually, I didn't even know there **_was_** video of that." I remind him.

He reaches out his hand, and I take it, letting him pull me into his arms. "You can thank Colin for that actually. He had been taping Lane's rehearsal, and forgot to turn off the camera. He brought it to me just before Christmas, and it inspired me."

"Where did you find Rachel?"

His lips touch mine softly. "Never reveal a source love. She asked me not to tell."

I wrap my arms around his waist. "Is that so?"

He smiles. "You're not going to get it out of me."

I shrug. "I know. That's not actually why I came in here." I admit.

"Really? Well then, do tell me Miss Gilmore, what brings you to this small bathroom?"

"I was thinking that my amazing boyfriend who gave a perfect speech tonight might want a reward." I grin.

"I do enjoy rewards." He lifts me onto the counter before fusing his lips to mine. As our tongues move together, I hook my legs around his waist to pull him closer. We part slowly, and he begins to kiss my neck slowly. "What kind of reward?"

I lift his head back up to kiss him again before pulling back to meet his eyes. "I'm sure you'll come up with something, you usually do."

His eyes sparkle a bit. "So you're saying I could…buy you something inappropriate?"

I laugh, touching my lips to his again. "Maybe not quite that big of a reward."

"A trip perhaps?" his lips trail down my collarbone again as he moves the straps of my nightgown aside.

"I might be willing to accept a trip." I breathe.

"Then a trip the lady shall have." He picks me up, and moves us into the bedroom, laying me down softly. "Tonight, however, tonight the lady will let me love her."

* * *

I wake up abruptly to the sound of the phone in the room ringing shrilly. I grab it, and shake my head. "I'm up." I say into the receiver, and reach over to shake Finn awake. "Get up." I mutter, climbing out of bed quickly. 

"No morning kiss?" he asks.

I shrug. "You and I both know that if I give you a morning kiss, it'll lead to morning nookie, and that's never fast. I have all of ten minutes to get to my mother's room before she starts to have panic attacks."

He nods. "Right. The wedding is today."

"The wedding is today."


	12. A Tornado Couldn't Move It

I poke my head into the room carefully. "Mom?"

"Rory? Where have you been?"

"My wake up call was for seven fifteen." I remind her. "How long have you been up?" I step into the room to find her pacing.

She pauses in her path. "Since five." She admits.

I smile a bit. "Five am exists?"

"Very funny Rory."

I walk over to her, and pull her into a hug. "You're getting married today." I whisper.

"What if he decides to leave?"

I pull back and smile. "Never happen." I remind her. "The hairstylist gets here in a half hour, which means Grandma gets here at the same time. You ready?"

She breathes deeply. "God I hope so."

As the stylist finishes Mom's hair, I can feel her beginning to relax. "Everything is on schedule downstairs?" she asks again.

"Sookie has everything under control. She'll be up any minute to start getting ready herself." I acknowledge.

She nods, and moves to the dresser quickly.

"Lorelai, not so quickly, you'll ruin your hair!" Grandma clips.

"I'm fine Mom." She lifts an eyebrow at her mother. "Besides, there's so much stuff in my hair right now a tornado couldn't move it."

She pulls out a small package, and holds it towards me. "Can you get this to Luke?"

I take it quietly, and nod. "Yeah. Should I stay to find out what he thinks?"

"I'd like that."

I hurry out of the room, and move quickly down the hall where I knock softly on the door. When it cracks open, I see Finn's face. "What are you doing here love? Aren't you supposed to be keeping your mum from killing your grandma?"

I shrug. "I come bearing word from the bride for her groom, may I enter?"

"Only if it's good news. It **_is_** good news, right?" he pulls the door open further, and I kiss his cheek softly.

"It's a present." I step in, and notice Luke is scouring the room for something. "Are you okay Luke?"

He stops abruptly to look at me carefully. "You won't tell your Mom?"

I wince. "Tell her what?"

"That I lost the cufflinks she picked out."

_Thank god. I thought it was something important._ "I promise not to tell as long as you take a break in order to open a present from her."

He crosses the room. "Sure."

I hand him the package, and he moves to the small desk chair to open the letter. He reads through it slowly, and I feel Finn's arms come around me from behind as I realize Luke is reading a second, smaller note placed inside with Mom's. When he finishes, he opens the small box slowly, and I see a small pair of cufflinks. _Only my mom._

He glances over at me, and holds up the box. "Would you mind helping me with these?"

I nod, and move closer to carefully place them into the small holes on the sleeves of his shirt. "These aren't the ones she picked out." I notice suddenly.

He meets my eyes. "No, she apparently returned those after finding these in my storage locker, attached to the second note there. My mom left them for me. Her father and grandfather wore them at their weddings, and so did my dad."

I feel my chest tighten a bit. "You know she's down the hall convinced you're not going to like this, right?" I remind him softly.

He stands, and pulls me into a tight hug. "Tell her nothing could have been better. She gave me my parents on our wedding day. It's perfect." He lets go, and crosses to a small duffle bag on the bed to pull out a gift. "Would you take mine over to her?"

* * *

When I step back into the room, Mom looks up nervously. "Did he like them?"

I smile. "Do you want the quote or the paraphrase?"

"The quote."

"Nothing could have been better. You gave him his parents on your wedding day. It's perfect." I smile as her face splits into a grin.

"He really said that?"

"He really did." I extend the small box he gave me towards her. "This is for you. Obviously it's from Luke."

Carefully, she opens the card envelope, and pulls out a note card. She places it to the side, and then picks up the box, opening it slowly to reveal another piece of paper. She glances at me, and smiles. "He put me on the insurance for the diner as co-owner."

"That's a very strange grooms gift." Grandma offers, and Mom lifts an eyebrow at her.

"I've been bugging him about wanting to be able to go behind the counter to get my own coffee since we met. His excuse was always that I wasn't insured and if I got hurt, he'd be in trouble. This isn't about my being on the insurance as it is 'free coffee for life except during any pregnancies that may or may not occur'."

"You're going to give up coffee if you get pregnant?" I ask suddenly.

She grins and holds up the card. "According to this, if I don't, he'll pull me **_off_** the insurance."

"Wow. Giving you a carafe and unlimited access to the actual pot in two days. He must really love you to know you that well."

"What carafe?" Grandma asks.

"Luke bought a carafe for me at the diner. He showed it to me yesterday. That way I wouldn't keep asking him for coffee, or so he claims."

Grandma's eyes go wide. "He truly does know everything about how to make you happy, doesn't he?"

I see Mom freeze. "Yeah. He does." She whispers.

Grandma nods. "Well then, let's get you dressed and married to the man of your dreams."

Mom stands slowly, and moves towards Grandma. Stopping in front of her, she pauses. "I love you Mom." She whispers before pulling a stunned Grandma into her arms.

I feel the tears build up in my eyes, and shake my head a bit. "Have I got a couple minutes before I have to put on my dress?" I ask quickly.

Mom and Grandma turn to me, and Mom starts. "Yeah, but…"

"I'll help you with your dress Lorelai. Let's give Rory a few minutes."

Mom nods, and I quickly hurry back down the hall to the room where Finn is helping Luke. I knock on the door rapidly, and meet Finn's eyes as he pulls open the door quickly. "Are you super busy?" I ask him.

He lifts an eyebrow. "Other than helping Luke tie the bowtie that Lorelai wants him to wear?"

I look at Luke, and then at Grandpa. "Grandpa, you can help him, right? I mean, Grandma is helping Mom with her dress."

Luke looks surprised, but nods. "Go ahead, we'll figure it out."

I grab Finn's hand and pull him down the hall into our room, where I promptly begin to pace.

"Love?" he asks softly, and I freeze to look at him. "Love, come here." He whispers, holding out his hand. I take it and move into his arms, burying my face in his chest. "What happened?"

I turn my head to the side slightly while wrapping my arms more tightly around him. "Grandma called Luke the man of Mom's dreams." I whisper. "She wasn't being polite, and it wasn't as a veiled insult. She just…saw it."

He pulls back slightly and I meet his eyes. "Why are you upset?"

"I shouldn't be." I close my eyes. "I really shouldn't be. My Mom and Luke are perfect for each other. They've been in love for years, most of those years they didn't even know it. Luke has been the Dad my father never was. But…do you know what flashed through my brain when Grandma finally accepted him? All of a sudden, I realized that now the Haydens are never going to accept me. My parents are never going to be together so there's not even a slim chance that Dad's parents are ever going to want to be a part of my life. How stupid is that? This is the happiest day of my mother's life and all I can think about is myself."

His arms tighten around me, and I feel him kiss the top of my head. "They will see it one day. Your grandparents would have to be blind not to see how amazing you are, how much you would bring to their lives."

"I'm supposed to be happy today." I whisper.

"Did it occur to you that maybe it's the fact that you're happy that's making you upset?"

I pull back to look at him carefully. "I'm sorry, what?"

He shrugs. "It's a theory I'm working on. Actually, I've been working on it since I told you about Anelicania. Sometimes, I think I feel guilty about being happy. Like I'm not supposed to, because she's not here to be happy next to me."

"That's stupid, she would want you to be happy."

"Precisely."

I smile a bit. "I'm being stupid, aren't I?"

"No. You're allowed to feel whatever you want to love. You know that."

I breathe deeply. "I guess it just sort of hit me that they probably wouldn't come if I invited them to my wedding, and that hurts. It's not my fault my parents had me when they were 16."

"No, it's not." He leans down and touches his lips to mine softly. "It's not your fault." He repeats.

"I just said that." I remind him.

"And I'll keep telling you until you believe it." he kisses my forehead. "It's not your fault."

I nod slowly, and take a few more deep breaths. "I love you." I whisper. "So much that I can't think straight sometimes."

"That's probably a good things seeing as I've been known to experience the same thing myself. I love you very much pet."

I relax against him once more, and sigh. "I suppose I should go finish getting ready for the wedding."

"I suppose you should." He buries his face in my shoulder, and neither of us moves.

There's a knock at the door suddenly, and it opens slightly. "If the two of you are naked, I'm going to kill you." Logan's voice clips. "Luke and Lorelai are ready, the wedding – not your wedding I might add – is now waiting on you."

I glance at him and stick my tongue out. "Very funny." I pull back and tilt my head. "Should we go marry my mom off?"

"I do believe we should."

* * *

We're standing just inside the Inn, and I glance at Mom. "You ready for this?"

She nods slowly. "I think I've been ready for a very long time."

I take her hand, and she reaches out to take Grandma's hand. "Let's go."

We walk out the doors, and climb into the large carriage that's taking us to the town square. As we get closer, I notice Grandma's eyes watering slightly, and I smile a bit. "You okay Grandma?"

She nods. "It's beautiful." She admits, referring to the path of lights that Mom made sure lined the road between the Inn and the gazebo. "You're very good at this, aren't you?" she asks Mom softly.

Mom nods. "I learned from the best." She whispers, and Grandma seems surprised. "Hey, don't look at me like that. You try growing up with you without picking up a few tricks here and there."

We pull up slowly, and Sookie smiles as she opens the carriage door. I smile at Finn as he helps Grandma down, leading her down the aisle to start the procession. Sookie winks at me when Grandma is halfway there, and leaves herself as I grip Grandpa's hand to step down. "Hey Grandpa." I say softly.

"Hello Rory. You look lovely."

"Thanks." I begin to make my way down the aisle, and as I reach my place at the end of the aisle, I realize upon looking up that we can't actually see the carriage from here. _Sneaky. I didn't know she was going to torture him like that._ Quietly, the guests stand, and I see Mom and Grandpa appear at the end of the aisle. I risk a glance at Luke and notice the awe in his eyes. I move my gaze to Finn, and he nods softly. I nod back, and then shift my attention back to Mom.

* * *

I'm sure if you asked Luke, he wouldn't be able to tell you that Mom's dress was an intricately beaded white silk dress, strapless and perfectly princess-like. That he wouldn't be able to describe the soft fur shrug she wore to keep her arms from freezing in the winter cold. But I guarantee he remembers the look in her eyes when she realized he had her ring engraved without telling her. I glance around the dining room of the Inn with a smile, and let my gaze fall on Finn, standing in the corner talking to Logan and Steph. He glances up, and winks at me. I laugh a bit, and move across the room to join them.

"What took you so long?" Steph asks. "All you had to do was talk to the DJ."

I lean against Finn's side and shrug. "I got distracted. Did you see the look on Mom's face when Luke showed her the engraving?"

"What engraving?" Finn asks suddenly.

I look up at him. "I thought you knew. Luke had her ring engraved with the date they met, today's date, and an infinity symbol."

"He's setting the bar entirely too high."

"On that note, I'm going to take Steph for a turn around the dance floor."

I look up into Finn's eyes as they walk away. "You know that if this ever happens for us I wouldn't compare, right?"

He smiles. "I'm aware, so long as you're aware that I refuse to get caught up in wedding fever and propose simply because we're here."

I smile. "Good."

"So, your mum is safely married, now what?"

I shrug. "Finish my midterms?"

"You're honestly going to spend the next two weeks catching up from everything you missed by going to the house with me, aren't you?"

"Of course I am."


End file.
